What lies beneath the metal
by CloudedWater
Summary: After years of longing and waiting, a forbidden romance is born between Suyin and Kuvia. Rated M for mature.


How could she possibly even contemplate looking at Kuvira as more than a daughter? She raised her, brought her in and sheltered her from the harsh realities that no eight year old should have had to endure. Behind the pain and suffering she saw the potential in the young girl's eyes and sought to nurture it, cultivate it. Suyin sighed and leaned her body against door frame as she watched the young woman that spurned her affections. The metal bender moved with an uncanny mix of grace and strength unrivaled by any of her other dancers. It was a mystery to her; how she could seamlessly mix the two together so naturally.

Kuvira's eyes locked with Suyin's during one of her movements and time slowed to a crawl. It was clichéd, childish and reminiscent of her younger days but she found her heart pounding against her chest. The older woman simply smiled and nodded, hoping to hide the multitude of feelings that were threatening to consume her every day. It was so hard to hide under the guise of a mere mentor to the young girl and evidence of that was becoming clear. The lingering touches, the meaningful glances where she swore Kuvira knew and returned her feelings. She dismissed them however, chalking them up to merely seeing her own feelings being reflected back at her.

Many nights she sat in bed as Bataar Sr. slept peacefully beside her. Her mind a torrent of overwhelming emotions and feelings. Was she just going through a midlife crisis? Was her age catching up to her? Did she seek to recapture her youth and saw that opportunity in Kuvira? The answer to those questions scared her more than she cared to admit. No, she loved Kuvira, but what did that say about her? She was a married mother of five, leader of Zaofu and her people yet her heart strayed regardless. All that she had worked for was being threatened by her ever growing feelings for her pupil. She desperately tried to suppress her feelings, even going as far as to dismiss Kuvira at times, but all was for naught as her feelings were only reinforced.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a gentle voice that called her name with a touch of concern.

"I'm so sorry, Kuvira." Suyin blinked several times, doing her best to draw herself back to reality. She placed her hand on the young bender's shoulder to put her concern at ease but it was not so easily dismissed. Beautiful emerald eyes pierced her very being as if begging her to reveal her deepest secrets. Suyin was mesmerized as she stared into them and for a few brief seconds her restraints failed as she found herself framing Kuvira's face with her hands. Suyin let her hands linger as her restraint returned to her.

"I am perfectly ok, I promise." Such intimacy could be easily dismissed as a strong bond between mother and daughter. A fact that Suyin found herself being grateful for and yet loathed it at the same time. Su let her hands fall back to her sides and put on a brave face for her pupil but the young metal bender was far from convinced. Wordlessly, she stepped to the side allowing her mentor to walk past her. In that moment, Kuvira felt helpless and ashamed. She was captain of the guard, sworn to protect both Su and her family at all costs yet she couldn't protect her from whatever demons she faced now. Suyin walked towards one of the tall windows placing her hands on the seal. She looked to the sky noticing the mix of orange and purple at the horizon signifying the end of the day.

"I did not realize that it was so late…don't you have guard duty tonight?" Su looked over her shoulder a bit surprised that Kuvira had wordlessly followed her.

"Yes." Kuvira nodded

"I think that the guard can go one night without their captain. Take tonight off , Kuvira." Internally Su cringed at her obvious favoritism towards the woman of her affections, but she had kept Kuvira up most of the day and so reasoned with herself that it was only fair.

"but I'm perfectly fin…" Kuvira sought to argue but stopped mid sentence.

"Don't make this an order," Su smiled mischievously.

Seeing that she would not win this argument, Kuvira relented with a smile. "Alright I will take the night off." Truthfully, Kuvira didn't like the idea. She worried about the older bender's safety constantly and did not like to trust anyone else with it. Even when directed to take the night off, Kuvira made it a point to do a few rounds past her mentor's chambers if only to put her mind at ease. What Suyin didn't know couldn't possibly hurt her.

"Dismissed" Su half heartedly asserted her authority. A genuine laughed passed over Kuvira's lips as she turned to leave the room. Su turned to watch the onyx hair woman leave the room. She admired the young woman through half lidded eyes full of longing and did so until she was out of sight. Su closed her eyes and gently let go a breath she did not realize she was holding. What she wouldn't give to take Kuvira into her arms and simply hold her.

She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration of her childish notions. She'd watched Kuvira grow into a young and strong woman who quickly rose through the ranks to captain of the guard and done so all on her own. She didn't need to be coddled or fussed over. Yet, Su found herself wanting to do just that more and more each passing day.

"Young…" She repeated the word to herself out loud. Not only had she fallen for a woman but a woman over twenty years her junior. The thoughts weighed on her heavily like so many times but before they could fester further, she decided to retire early and to let sleep brush them away.

Kuvira along with the combined strength of her fellow metal benders sealed the city for the night as they did every night. Zaofu was known as the safest place in all of the nations but with each successful closing, she wondered what true safety really was. It wasn't fair that in order to be safe they had to essentially seal themselves off from the world. Deny themselves the ethereal glow of the moon and stars. She stared at the metal dome as if she could see through it as memories drifted into her conscious.

_"Kuvira come with me, I want to show you something." Suyin beckoned for the then 16 year old metal bender. It hadn't gone unnoticed, the favoritism that was shown towards her and for a while the girl was teased for it relentlessly but in time she learned to appreciate it for what it was; love. She followed in behind Su, wondering where they could possibly be going at this hour. The domes would be closing soon and so leaving the city wasn't really an option. _

"_Where are we going?" she fell in step beside Su, face full of curiosity._

"_Oh for spirits sake show some patience, Kuvira. I promise you that it is worth the wait." Su gently chastised. She awkwardly turned away as she was unable to argue. She had always been an impatient one with a temper to boot. Yet, the more time she spent with Su the less enraged she felt. She had been completely tamed from the angry depressed child she once was. The feeling of peace was an awkward but welcomed feeling for her. Su led them to a small alcove hidden on the roof of the building. _

_Suyin sat in the recess and patted the space beside her and Kuvira wordlessly obeyed. _

"_I asked the guards to delay closing the domes." She spoke after a moment of silence_

"_Why would you do that? The domes keep us safe." _

_A strange look of longing passed briefly over Su's face but just as fast as it appeared it disappeared._

"_Just watch and see."_

_Both women watched the skyline in silence as it transitioned from day to night. Shy stars now finding the courage to dance with the moon as the sun gave way to it's presence._

"_This is…. Beautiful. Why haven't I noticed this before?" Kuvira stared out into the distance mesmerized by the sight that played out before her. The artificial lights in the city below didn't detract from their beauty at all and instead enhanced it._

"_How could you? The domes are normally closed by now." Suyin admired the same view with wonder and amazement. Unbeknownst to her, searching green eyes studied her face and their owner came to a sad conclusion; she regretted the domes. She saw them as a necessary evil and realizing such sadness in her mentor did not settle well with her._

"_Thank you….. for bringing me with you today…um tonight." She turned her head and nodded graciously albeit nervously. Showing gratitude was still something she had a hard time grasping._

"_No, thank you for coming with me."_

Kuvira lowered her head from the dome and tucked the memory away for another time. She was young and naive but the promise she made that night with conviction had always stuck in the forefront of her mind. She swore that she would be the one to tear down the down the domes, make their purpose obsolete. She would be the one to guard Zaofu so fiercely that no one would dare make a move against the city. It fueled her drive to become the youngest captain ever and it showed no signs of weakening. She would have her star filled nights with Suyin by her side.

After a few hours of rest, Kuvira rose from her bed and begin to dress for her nightly rounds. With the flick of her wrist, her armor drifted towards her and soon she felt the comforting embrace of metal against her body. It was like a second skin to all metal benders. Where other benders and non benders could only see it as cold dense material, she saw it as truly being one with her element in ways they could never imagine with their own element. She sat her helmet firmly into place and walked towards her chamber's doors, effortlessly opening them with but a wave of her hand. She made her normal rounds, again lost in past memories. However when she approached the doors of Suyin's chambers she was quickly brought back to the present. She dismissed the guards outside the doors, assuring them that she could handle herself should anything happen. Not one to disobey their captain, they left wordlessly, assured by her that she would call them back soon.

She ran her hands over the intricate design of the doors that separated her from Suyin. She'd figured out long ago how she felt about the mature metal bender but it did not ease the sea of confusing emotions that often clouded her mind. She never looked to her as a mother figured in any way, shape or form. Her distaste for anything even remotely resembling that of maternity was firmly rooted due to her less than stellar upbringing. No, she looked at Su as a guardian as a friend but when those feelings turned to love she was floored. She'd come to discover this by accidently stumbling onto an intimate moment between Suyin and Bataar Sr. Hot fiery waves of anger coursed through her veins as she forced herself to look away; she was jealous. She forced the flames away but the smoldering coals stayed, ready to flare again at a moment's notice.

She desperately fought against her new found feelings only for them to win out in the end. Her mind simply would not listen to any logic about how it could never work between them. She was attracted to Suyin like a helpless moth to a flame and could not stay away; even if it meant certain doom. She turned to leave, feeling satisfied in her rounds, but just as she was about to radio the guards, she heard faint whimpering from the other side of the door.

"Suyin?" She looked wide eyed at the door and made the rash decision to enter. Normally she would have decided against such an endeavor but with Bataar Sr. out of town the decision had already been made. She gently opened the doors and crossed the distance between herself and Su within seconds. Su tossed and turn, clinging to the covers as she endured what had to be a frightful nightmare. Kuvira reached down and placed her hand on the woman's shoulders, trying to gently shake her awake.

"Suyin, it's just a dream. You're safe here." A sweat drench brow ceased to furrow as the eyes beneath them opened. Su blinked rapidly trying to focus her blurry vision as she sat in up in bed. She took slow deep breaths, trying to calm down the thunderous pounding in her chest. Kuvira continued to look onwards with concern etched onto her face but she gave the woman the space and time she needed to come back to reality.

"Kuvira? What are you doing here?" She finally turned her full attention to the captain's guard who kneeled at the floor beside her bed.

"Making sure that you are alright."

"I thought that I gave you the night off?" she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Her mock annoyance clearly evident on her face.

"You did but I'm a stubborn one." Kuvira smiled, closing her eyes in the process.

"and a protective one." With her guard and inhibitions lowered, she stroked the side of kuvira's face with the pad of her thumb in appreciation. The woman of her affections gasped and eyes drifted from half lidded to closed as she leaned into her mentor's touch. Suyin was her moon and she was the helpless sea. She was no longer able to resist the pull her moon had on her and so turned her head slowly until she kissed the palm of her mentor's hand.

This was a mistake.

A wide eyed Kuvira turned to leave, to rush away in the vain hopes that perhaps She would chalk this up to a dream. The metallic pull that she felt on her armor however said otherwise. She turned to look at Su only to discover another look of wanting but this time it was directed towards her. The pull on her armor was gentle but persistent. A sign that she would not force the young woman to stay but desperately wanted her to. She moved with blinding speed crashing her lips into Suyin's who returned the action with the same gusto. Passion won out over technique as both sought out to convey years of pent up emotion in but a few moments of air. Reluctantly they broke apart, their need for oxygen making itself known through deprived screaming lungs.

"How long?"

"Years."

Silently they both sought to make up for those years of longing with tonight and how ever long they had afterwards. Su lifted her hand, metal bending the helmet away from her love's head and placed it on the floor. The metal fastenings of her armor clicked softly and the breast plates drifted apart to soon occupy the space next to the helmet. Never had she experienced such intimacy displayed through their own craft. It shouldn't have been a shock to her, she was after all the daughter of the first ever metal bender. Suyin rose from the bed and placed her hands on Kuvira's shoulders to disrobe her of the clothing that all guards wore under their armor. She was practically exposed now, only in her white tank top and pants. Her breath quickened and her heart hammered against her chest. During her relentless pursuit to captain of the guard she didn't so much as blink at another soul.

"Do you trust me, Kuvira?" In a rare shy moment the young woman turned away as she tried valiantly to regain her composure.

"I do."

"We can go as fast or as slow as you like." Su pressed her forehead against Kuvira's while cupping the woman's face.

"We don't even have to.." Kuvira found her courage and surged forward, pressing her lips against her lover's once more. Her hands snaked around Suyin's side and pulled her as close as possible. Su moaned into the kiss as Kuvira became bolder by placing her hands under su's gown and sliding her hands upwards until she reached her breast. Rough calloused hands marveled in their weight while eager thumbs made slow deliberate circles around their peaks. She pulled her hands away and guided them to the zipper of Su's gown. She pulled it down and let the garment fall to pool at her mentor's feet.

She was absolutely beautiful and the sight caused Kuvira to feel a deep throbbing within the core of her own body. While Kuvira was distracted, Su pushed to satisfy her own need by grabbing the bottom of Kuvira's shirt and raising it over her shoulders to be discarded. She reached in behind her young lover and started to slowly undo her bindings. She gasped when she noticed the multitude of scars Kuvira bore. One in particular caught her attention, a jagged one just above her left breast. She ran her hand over it as if it was still fresh.

"Kuvira…"

"it's alright." Kuvira assured her by placing her hand on Su's exploring one.. "Scar tissue is stronger so don't worry." The double meaning didn't escape Su. She knew Kuvira hadn't had an easy life both physically and emotionally. She knew the trials that she faced in the past but they had molded her into the strong woman she was today; the woman that she loved. Kuvira buried her head into the crook of Su's neck where she kissed, nipped and sucked at her pulse point. It transformed Su into a shivering mess of inaudible words and strangled gasps. She didn't notice herself being pushed backwards until her calves hit the edge of the bed and she toppled with Kuvira still at her neck. Kuvira pulled away and visibly shuddered, her own arousal at all new heights, but tonight was about Suyin. Her own desires could wait and they would. She kissed down her neck, leaving a trail of kisses over her collar, between the valley of her breast, down and over her navel. She did not stop until she reached the apex of her legs. There she saw the dampness forming on the thin piece of fabric that separated her from Suyin, a clear sign of arousal if nothing else was. She pressed forward with her nose, inhaling her love's scent which intoxicated her, sent her into a frenzy

Suyin hissed at the pressure and called her name as lust blinded her to anything else but the overwhelming pleasure consuming her. That was all of the permission Kuvira needed and so she hooked her thumbs through the fabric and slowly pulled it down until it too littered the floor.

"This is hardly fair…" Suyin trailed off while gazing to Kuvira's pants and then back to her. She got the message in a heartbeat and so pulled away to rid herself of her last articles of clothing. In an instant she returned to her previous spot and let go a breath against her dampness. She clutched at the covers and thrashed her head repeatedly to the side.

"Ku…Kuvira.."

Kuvira opened her mouth and leaned forward, slowly running her tongue from bottom to top within her slick folds. On a few passes she deliberately missed Suyin's bud of pleasure making her cry out in frustration. She decided to have mercy on the poor woman and focused entirely on the bundle of nerves. She kissed it, licked it, sucked on it delicately and even grazed it with her teeth. She wanted to push Suyin off the edge of a cliff and she was doing just that. Suyin felt herself teetering on the edge but a single coherent thought managed to penetrate the chaos that was her mind.

She wanted Kuvira to reach her climax with her as well. It was painfully obvious that Kurvira had unmet needs and so she thought to ease both of their burdens

"Ss…top….Ku…Ku…vira stop." She shook like a leaf in the wind as she willed herself to not let go just yet. Kuvira thought she had imagine the words and continued until she got firm confirmation to stop. She looked up in confusion and wonder if she'd done anything wrong. Suyin beckoned her forward and Kuvira climbed on top of her. Much to her surprise Suyin lifted her leg and gave her a much needed pressure between her legs. She nearly collapsed but managed to catch herself. Instinctively she rocked her hips into Suyin's leg and made sure to return the gesture with her own. Needing purchase She raked her nails down Kuvira's back, leaving red angry lines in their wake. She sucked hard at Kuvira's neck as the unexplainable need to mark the young girl as her's reared its head. Kuvira's thrusts because faster and uneven. They were less about precision and more about animalistic need. Both women became wracked with insurmountable pleasure as they both fell off the edge of the cliff.

Kuvira wrapped her arms fiercely around Su as they shuddered through the last throes of their orgasm together. Even after their respective storms had passed, they held each other, their heads buried in the shoulder of the other. Neither having ever felt so safe and protected than they were in this moment.

"I love you." Kuvira spoke first.

"and I love you." Suyin stroked the side of her face, proudly displaying the affection she carried for so long.

The gentle hum of the dome opening drifted to their ears and it was accompanied by the rays of the sun filtering in and bathing the two lovers in its soft light. Had it really been that long?

"I should go…" Kuvira looked away sadly, not really wanting to leave at all.

"I know."

With a deep sigh Kuvira moved away and started gathering her discarded clothes to dress. Looking the part of a proper guard, she stood valiantly doing her best to remain stoic. Suyin stood in front of her and pressed her forehead against her's. The relatively quick kiss that soon followed afterward was one full of promises.

Having used her sesmic sense she gently pushed Kuvira forward.

"There is no one in the halls, you should be able to go unseen." Kuvira nodded and made her way out the door but not before leaving her love with a lingering look. The finality of the moment was made clear by the closing of the large metallic doors.

She had no idea of what she had just gotten herself into, but she knew she was in too deep to let it go.

**Author's Notes:** Welp that was very unexpected! I'm a hard core korrasami shipper but I just wrote suvira. Let me explain; while looking for korrasami fics I stumbled across "Unintended Consequences" by Lancer365. The only reason I saw it was because I hadn't filtered yet and it caught my attention because it was at the top. I never thought about the two being a pairing but after reading her story I was instantly hooked. She managed to temporarily bring me out of retirement XD(I wrote mass effect fanfiction years ago before but never managed to finish one of them). I doubt that I will ever write korrasami despite it being my otp because I know I will lose my motivation with the show ending next week *cries* So I'll leave that to more talented writers than myself. I hope that you guys enjoyed this, thanks for sparking my muse. This was beyond rewarding :3


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